Reception
In every Shonen Jump character popularity poll of series, Tezuka has remained in the top five most popular characters; besides the first poll, where he came in fifth place, he has remained in the fourth spot since the second poll in 2002. In addition, in the annual Valentine Chocolate Recipient rankings Takeshi Konomi releases in the manga, Tezuka received the second largest amount of chocolates in the 2001 rankings. However, since then, his rank has continued to decline; the following year, he took the fifth spot; in 2004, he slipped down a rank to sixth; and in 2005, his rank slipped to eighth place. During another one of Konomi's manga segments, in which fans were to send postcards in order to have their name listed as one of Tezuka's classmates, the replies were so overwhelming that the results had to be postponed for another volume. Also, in the Prince of Tennis Character Book 40.5, though Konomi comments that Tezuka is the character who is most unlike himself, he states that Tezuka would be the character he would pick to play doubles with, as well as wanting to be able to use his signature moves: Tezuka Zone and Tezuka Phantom. Various types of merchandise have been released in his likeness, including figurines, key chains, and jewelry.
In publications focused on manga and anime reviews, Tezuka's character has received mixed reviews. First off, one of his techniques is negatively reviewed, with John Sinnott of DVDTalk seeing it as one of the reasons why the story is "idiotic". Also, Chris Beveridge and Jarred Pine, reviewers from an entertainment website called Mania, both see him as unoriginal, with Chris describing him as one of the series' archetypes, more precisely as the "serious prodigy...who will change the face of tennis," and Jarred calling him a "cookie-cutter character". However, Chris also comments that since Tezuka takes his duties seriously, he is a good captain and is able to motivate the main character, Ryoma, in the right direction. Holly Ellingwood of ActiveAnime, an anime news and reviews site, praises his personality, citing that his willingness to sacrifice his arm for his team in the manga's seventeenth volume is a "noble action and higher deed", and is one of the reasons why this manga is at the top of its genre. In another review of volume 17, one of Mangalife's reviewers, Michael Aronson, has a more negative comment, stating that he "comes off looking more passive and stiff in contrast ," and despite his revealed backstory, he is held back from being a likable protagonist because he remains a mystery to readers.
Read more about this topic: Kunimitsu Tezuka
Famous quotes containing the word reception:
“But in the reception of metaphysical formula, all depends, as regards their actual and ulterior result, on the pre-existent qualities of that soil of human nature into which they fall—the company they find already present there, on their admission into the house of thought.”
—Walter Pater (1839–1894)
“He’s leaving Germany by special request of the Nazi government. First he sends a dispatch about Danzig and how 10,000 German tourists are pouring into the city every day with butterfly nets in their hands and submachine guns in their knapsacks. They warn him right then. What does he do next? Goes to a reception at von Ribbentropf’s and keeps yelling for gefilte fish!”
—Billy Wilder (b. 1906)
“Aesthetic emotion puts man in a state favorable to the reception of erotic emotion.... Art is the accomplice of love. Take love away and there is no longer art.”
—Rémy De Gourmont (1858–1915)